Just a Spark
by Lunar Serenade
Summary: Every romance needs a good spark. And Espella was more than happy to help (Darklaw x Barnham)


_Disclaimer; I own nothing_

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 _Set after the events of special episode 6 and contains mild end game spoilers_

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 **Only A Spark**

 **Darklaw x Barnham**

"Do you really think she liked it?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure."

"Are you _really_ sure?"

"Yes, I really think she liked your present, Barnham," Espella repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time that day.

And she honestly believed it. Despite Eve's shyness, if she truly was dissatisfied by something she would not hesitate to say so.

Though despite even that, Barnham could not be convinced.

"But the eclair was lumpy. And I said I picked it because it best captured her essence," he said, his expression somber, staring at the dough with a strange intensity. "Therefore that implied I thought that _she_ was lumpy."

With logic like that, there was no denying it. Her mouth opened, hoping to at least try to comfort him, but she promptly shut it closed. After all, she remembered Eve's initial reaction in receiving a day old, lumpy eclair.

Barnham released a loud groan and dropped his head onto the powdered counter with a resounding _plunk_ , scattering flour all throughout the room. A sigh rushed through her own lips, looking at him in sympathy.

...Well sympathetic for a moment.

As a new thought rolled into her head, the corners of her lips curled into a smile.

"Why do you care so much if she liked your present or not?" His muscles tensed, but he kept his face straight down, not looking at her or uttering a word. "It couldn't be that you maybe..."

"I hold nothing, but the utmost respect for Miss Eve." He spoke so quickly that it caught Espella off guard. He raised his head to meet her gaze, his expression serious. "She is a strong woman who deserves it nothing less."

Espella said nothing more and examined his face. It was white, covered with a significant layer of flour, but even still she could still see the spots of red glowing on his cheeks.

The smile must have still been on her lips because he tore his gaze away from her with a low huff, returning his attentions to the dough. "Perhaps you could go retrieve milk, Miss Espella. I believe we are running low."

"Of course, whatever you say." She repressed a giggle at the sudden change of subject, but proceeded her way towards the door.

"Also bring Constantine with you."

As if on cue, the pup rushed to her side, chest puffed and tongue hanging out, attempting to appear fierce, even noble perhaps.

In her eyes, he looked fiercely adorable.

"I do not need an escort to retrieve milk. I've done it before."

"And that was before I began working here. I'd be breaking my knightly vows if I allowed a young lady such as yourself to go unescorted in the evening," he said firmly. "We may not have witches to fear, but there are many other dangers that may be lurking in the darkness."

She opened her mouth, ready to argue with him, but she released a low sigh. The chances of her beating an ex-inquisitor in a verbal combat seemed unlikely.

"Alright. Let's go, Constantine."

The dog barked and tailed after her as she walked out the door.

Being out in the cool air, away from the burning fire of the stove and the equally fiery knight... she felt a breath rush out of her lips.

"Your master is sure a stubborn one, isn't he, Constantine?"

"Woof!" She took that as a sound of agreement.

After all, it was obvious to everyone that Barnham was in love with Eve Belduke.

She at first contented herself with the knowledge and resolved to be patient, awaiting for things to progress naturally between them, like in those sweet romance novels she sometimes read. Barnham's present should have been the start they needed, the catalyst that would finally help move things along between them.

The presentation of the gift. A proclamation of love. A joyful embrace and passionate kiss. She almost swooned at the mere thought of it.

Listening to Barnham worry over his gift choice for hours on end was definitely not the direction she had hoped for nor very romance novel-like.

"Would it honestly kill the man if he was honest with his feelings?"

"Arf!"

"Exactly. He would not be in such torment if he did. She liked his present well enough, and..."

And then she stopped in her place. Constantine sidled beside her, looking up at her in mild confusion. Espella did not look down, staring out into space, mouth slightly agape, her thoughts transfixed on a single notion.

She had no idea of what Eve thought of Barnham. Sure, Espella knew she respected him well enough, but she had no idea if she felt the same way as him.

' _That's one way to kill a girl's romantic dreams.'_

She pondered the thought for a few moments longer, turning her gaze to the sky, as if somehow that providing the answers she wanted.

"What are Eve's feelings..."

Constantine barked, following the movement with curiosity, his eyes widening as if in hopes that it answered him in steaks.

* * *

"What do you think of Barnham?"

The question caught her off guard. Eve hesitated and first clicked her tongue, raising her quill away from the feline, before looking to face her. "Why do you mean?"

"Exactly as I said. I was just wondering what you thought of Barnham," she repeated, absently twirling a pen around her fingers.

Eve paused and was deep in thought, mindful to keep her feather away from the pawing cat. "Well... he is an excellent knight, one with strong conviction and good discipline... why do you ask?"

"Oh... no reason really. Just curious." Though she was unable to conceal her disappointment as she plopped deeper into her seat.

She blamed herself for being too hopeful that Eve would come out and say she was madly in love with him. It was worth a shot, though she wasn't expecting her to simply state obvious qualities of his work ethic. They were easy to state, especially considering how often they worked together.

It couldn't be that Eve never considered him as a man before, could it?

The question caught her, nearly jolting her from her chair. It was impossible that she never realized qualities like how he _looked_ , did she? Oh dear god. Was her best friend actually blind or something?

"You never asked me such a question before... You wouldn't perhaps be interested in him, are you?"

That snapped her out of her daze. "Absolutely not! He's like a big brother to me."

' _Though if I were bolder, I could ask you the same thing.'_

But she knew better than that. If she tried to be any more direct, Eve may become a useless, stammering mess.

Espella paused a moment, considering her next course of action, before finally asking, "Oh, what did you think of Barnham's birthday present?"

She held her breath, when she noticed Eve still, taking a moment to contemplate the question.

"It was the thought that counted... And thankfully since it was my favorite, I barely noticed the lumps." Eve glanced over to her. "Did you tell him I liked eclairs?"

Espella shook her head. "No, he thought of the present all by himself."

"Well then. He has excellent tastes in gifts." Her voice dropped an octave lower, the planes of her face softening. "I just appreciated he remembered my birthday really..."

Eve chuckled nervously to herself, dropping her gaze quickly to her paperwork in hopes of concealing the pink in her cheeks.

But Espella noticed. She nearly sat at the edge of her seat, almost jumping in excitement. Her romance dreams could still alive. It couldn't possibly be that Eve also...?

And just as quickly as it came, the moment vanished.

"Eve, give me back my quill!"

The cat purred, hopping happily away from her hands, feather quill secure in her mouth.

"Espella, tell you cat to give it back to me," she cried, struggling to catch the feline.

"She's just playing. She always had an eye on your pen," Espella replied. "Besides, why do you still use a feather quill? You could just as easily use a normal pen."

"It's... just... cooler to use," Eve commiserated, before releasing a gasp of triumph, waving her quill into the air. The cat mewled in response, green eyes wide, slightly confused at the sudden loss of the feathery thing, before she tentatively rose to her feet and tried swiping the feather with her paw.

Espella released a frustrated sigh, pouting at the absence of an admission. She thought she had her, that _something_ was coming out. But of course, this happened instead.

' _What's it going to do just to get either of them to admit it...'_

What did she have to do? Shove them into each just to get a confession?

As she watched her kitten chased after the feather, Eve keeping it far out of her reach as humanly possible, Espella suddenly was struck by an idea. A completely wonderful idea.

After all, every romance needs a good spark. And she was more than happy to help.

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Well at least she thought it was a good plan at the time.

it involved enlisting Eve and Constantine for assistance. They were to draw out Barnham and Eve with whatever means they wished, force them to face each, and admit their true feelings.

Eyes locked, lips curved, love glowing in their hearts. Each speaking a few select words before running into the other's arm in a tender embrace. It would be like a scene in one of those sweet romance novels.

Minus the rain and tears and all.

Though she failed to consider the fact that these two were definitely not really romantic hero/heroine material.

They were so focused on their individual pursuits that they did not see who was rushing their way. Her eyes closed shut, and she held her breath, unable to watch as the two collided.

She waited a moment.

Two.

Everything was silent.

She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting. A loud exclamation, a long string of awkward apologies, something.

Everything remained quiet.

Her curiosity took hold, forcing her eyes to open, peeking out the window to see what had just occurred. For some odd reason, she was not expecting them to be find them like _that_.

Barnham was hovering over Eve, her back pressed against the dirt ground, his hands planted firmly on either side of her face. And only thing either of them could do was just stare at each other.

Their expressions were blank, but to Espella, there was just something in the way they looked at each other that spoke volumes. The look where nothing else in the world mattered, that the only thing they could see or hear was the person before them...

She wasn't sure if it was her romantic heart or not, but the sight practically confirmed Espella's suspicions that those two definitely were in-

"Z-Z-Zacharias, c-c-could you please get off of me?" Eve said, her voice coming out in a choked whisper. She swiftly turned her gaze away from his, her cheeks burning at their proximity, trying her to focus her eyes on anything, but him.

"A-ah! Yes, of course." He immediately jumped up, helping Eve back to her feet, trying to ignore the redness in his own cheeks. "My apologies, Miss Eve. I did not mean to be so careless."

"No, it was my fault. I was so focused on getting my pen back that I failed to see what was in front of me," she replied with perhaps less strength than she would have liked.

Their eyes widened as they recalled their original objectives. They turned their heads, seeing the two animals sitting docilely beside one another, each nibbling on the piece of bread Constantine retrieved.

Barnham released a sigh of defeat. "At least that was a day old... Miss Patty should not be too upset at its loss..."

Eve did not answer, instead rushing forward to retrieve her pen from the cat's clutches.

"I honestly do not understand why you like this so much. You should consider getting your own feather to play with," Eve said to the cat, recoiling back when the feline raised a paw to retrieve it.

"I did not realize you were working today, Miss Eve." She snapped her head to face Barnham, his brows knitted in curiosity.

"Oh we recently received a shipment of new materials for building the new fountain," she answered. "I just still haven't figured out where to place..."

"I'd be more than happy to assist you if you need it." She raised her head up to look at him. The action caused his cheeks to brighten into an even rosier red. "I-I mean I'd be happy to help after baking some bread. Miss Patty would be a torment otherwise."

"I-I would like that, Zacharias. It would be nice to have someone I could bounce off ideas to," she said, feeling a smile curl her lips. "After you finish your own duties, of course."

"Of course. Bread first. I may be a knight, but combating Miss Patty's resolution bread is dreadful." They both smiled and stood there, their gazes drifting to meet once again.

After a somewhat awkward silence, he broke the contact and turned his gaze towards the floor, trying to keep his composure. "So I will see you later then, Miss Eve."

"Yes, I will see you too, Zacharias."

The two share one more look, before smiling and going off their respective ways.

Espella just couldn't stop beaming.

She sighed happily, dropping her chin into her hand. Well she was looking for a start. Seemed like finally she got it.

' _More importantly, it's such a relief to see that Eve isn't blind after all..._ '

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A/N: minor headcanon but I always liked the thought that Espella secretly shipped Eve and Barnham

anyways thanks for reading!


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